Help your workplace prepare for a flu pandemic

Businesses concerned about the possibility of a flu pandemic or other disaster have new resources available to help them plan and protect the health of employees.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has introduced new workplace safety and health guidelines to help companies prepare for a pandemic.

A flu pandemic is likely to have a serious impact on workplaces. Reports say that a pandemic could affect as many as 40 percent of workers during periods when a flu pandemic is at its peak. Sick employees could stay home because of their illnesses, while others may stay home to care for children or sick family members. That's why it's important to start planning now.

The new OSHA guidelines divide workplaces and work guidelines into four risk zones -- very high, high, medium and lower risk -- according to the likelihood that employees may be exposed to pandemic flu on the job. Groups with a very high risk of exposure to flu include doctors, nurses, dentists and others who interact regularly with the public.

To get ready for pandemic flu or other disasters, OSHA encourages businesses to plan for operations with a reduced work force; identify exposure and health risks to employees; and come up with ways to distance employees from each other, customers and the general public.

"I want to impress upon all private and public employers the importance of protecting their most valuable asset... their employees," said Edwin G. Foulke Jr., OSHA's assistant secretary. "Proper planning and preparation now can save lives in the future."

If your workplace hasn't gotten started yet on emergency planning or its been awhile since you've reviewed your emergency plans, why not pass this information along to your supervisor? After all, it's in your own best interest.

Is your office or workplace ready for the worst? What else should employers be doing? What's missing from the new guidelines? Leave your feedback by clicking on the comments link below.

Reader Poll: How concerned are you?

How concerned are you about pandemic influenza? Let us know by participating in our poll on the right.

Survey: Public health workers not personally prepared for emergencies

When it comes to emergency preparedness, many public health workers may not be practicing what they preach, the American Public Health Association found out recently.

The association conducted an informal online survey of public health workers — such as those who work in local health departments or medical facilities. The results showed that even though such workers are busy helping to prepare their communities and residents for emergencies, they aren't doing enough to take care of themselves and their families.

About 60 percent of workers who took part in the survey said they lacked evacuation plans for their own households, and 52 percent said they didn't have a plan addressing how they'd communicate with household members if an emergency occurred.

The survey also found that about 64 percent of respondents were "somewhat," "very" or "extremely" concerned about an influenza pandemic. Respondents said they were also concerned about disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes.

A news story detailing further survey results was published in The Nation's Health, APHA's monthly newspaper.

Please tell us how concerned you are about the possibility of a pandemic - see our poll on the right.

Shocked that more health workers aren't prepared themselves? You can use the comment feature of this blog to tell us, ask questions, raise concerns, etc.

Quarantine: Scary scenario, or practical approach?

Think of the word quarantine. Quick! What comes to mind? Do scenes from the movie Outbreak flash by, with Dustin Hoffman and Rene Russo donning spacesuit-gear and the military forcibly keeping people in their communities? You know, super scary stuff.

Will that really happen when pandemic flu strikes? Not likely. In fact, public health officials have a more realistic plan in mind.

Let's start with some definitions. "Quarantine" is when people who are not sick but have likely been exposed to a virus are separated from others. These people may be urged to not leave their homes or towns. A related term is "isolation." That's when a person who is already sick is separated from other people to reduce the chances that she or he will get others sick.

Health officials in Asia and Canada took these actions during the SARS outbreak a few years ago. But quarantine and isolation are likely to only play a small role in how communities respond to a flu pandemic. Why? Because pandemic flu spreads rapidly, and people can catch it from others who are sick but do not yet show any symptoms of being ill. (While common sense tells you to avoid the sneezing guy with the runny nose and bloodshot eyes, what about the woman who seems perfectly healthy?)

Rather than a situation like the one portrayed in an overblown Hollywood movie, scientists and experts expect restrictive measures to be voluntary. People will be encouraged to stay home from work or school to limit interacting with others and reduce their chances of getting sick. Schools will be closed and community events cancelled. Sick people will be separated from those who are not –- both in health facilities and at home.

What should you do to prepare for the possibility of staying home from work or school? APHA has developed a fact sheet that includes items that you should stockpile to be ready for a flu pandemic or anything else that comes your way—blizzard, hurricane or another disaster. And as far as seeing spacesuits in the near future, you’re more likely to see them on astronauts orbiting the planet than here on Earth.

What do you think? Would you be willing to stay home and quarantine yourself during a pandemic flu outbreak? Should quarantine be voluntary or mandatory? Tell us your thoughts by clicking on the comments link below.

Ready, set, go: Preparing for the worst

I might know the most prepared person on the planet. He's the consummate Boy Scout, and boy, he is ready for just about anything.

I'm not going to use his real name because if something horrible does happen — like a natural or manmade disaster or pandemic flu — we'd all show up on his doorstep asking for a spare water filter and some beef jerky. So, as we gather around the proverbial campfire — or what modern people refer to as the blogosphere — let me tell you about my friend Scout.

Scout is not only prepared to care for himself in an emergency, but also for his family of six — an impressive feat. In his house, Scout has a year's worth of food; 55 gallons of water; a barrel to collect rain water; an iodine kit; canned food, pasta, rice, wheat and a can opener; soap; toothpaste; four months worth of propane; matches, candles and batteries; and, of course, board games. Putting this all together was like getting ready to go camping for a year, Scout told me, saying that he prepared under the assumption that no one would be coming to save him and his family if the worst happened. (Any Jericho-watchers in our reading audience?)

Now, I know what you're thinking: How can I store an entire year's worth of food in my basement and still have space for my collection of mint-condition 1977 Star Wars memorabilia? Well, we can't all be like Scout. In terms of preparedness, he's a Jedi and the rest of us are Ewoks living in very unstable grass huts. But we can make a commitment to get organized and get prepared. Even if it means starting with very small steps.

First, contact your local emergency management office or Red Cross and find out what kind of disasters could happen where you live, how to prepare for each disaster and how to receive special assistance for members of your family who are elderly or disabled. Second, sit down with your family and loved ones and talk about why it's important to be prepared. Then, go through an emergency checklist and put together a preparedness kit.

Here are just a few examples of what the U.S. Department of Homeland Security recommends:
* One gallon of water per person per day for at least three days
* At least a three-day supply of nonperishable food
* A battery-powered or hand-crank radio
* Flashlight and extra batteries
* First aid kit
* Whistle to signal for help
* Dust masks to help filter contaminated air
* Local maps

For more detailed instructions and guidelines on how to put together an emergency preparedness kit, view our fact sheet that outlines how to prepare for all-hazards. For additional resources, visit www.redcross.org or www.fema.gov. Additional resources will be available during this year’s National Public Health Week, April 2-8 2007, where our campaign will focus on "Preparedness and Public Health Threats: Addressing the Unique Needs of the Nation's Vulnerable Populations."

And don't forget these words from my friend Scout: It's better to be safe than sorry.